“No matter how large the tissue of falsehood that an experienced liar has to offer, it will never be large enough … to cover the immensity of factuality.” (Hannah Arendt)
I found this quote by the philosopher Hannah Arendt in an article about truth vs. certainty from another philosopher, Max Popper. All of this in the remarkable blog BrainPickings.
We can always deny reality and cover it up with our “points of view”, “certainty” or “beliefs”, but reality, operating in an implacable movement of cause and effect, usually ends up knocking at our door.
This is what Eastern tradition calls karma. There is no moral idea of punishment in this notion. In Sanskrit, karma means “action” and refers to the principle of causes and effect, similar to the law of gravity.
For most of us, it’s hard to face the consequences of our actions, to face reality. It is for me, anyway
Paradoxically, as difficult and uncomfortable as it can be, it seems that there is no other choice than to get as close as we can to reality to find solutions to our problems and better our lives. That’s what science aims for.
This is interesting territory where western scientific mindsets and eastern spiritual traditions can overlap.
Well, at least that’s my point of view!
Reflection: What’s your relationship with reality? How do you approach difficult, uncomfortable or dreaded situations? Do you look at the consequences of your actions? How do you feel when you do?